Jeffrey M Wilson1, Behnam Keshavarz1, Hayley R James1, Maya K C Retterer1, Alexander J Schuyler1, Alice Knoedler1, Lisa J Workman1, Lucy Ng'ang'a2, Martha E Chico3, Eva Rönmark4, Peter W Heymann1, Matthew S Perzanowski5, Thomas A E Platts-Mills6, Philip J Cooper7. 1. Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. 2. United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya. 3. Fundación Ecuatoriana Para Investigación para Salud, Quinindé, Ecuador. 4. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, OLIN Unit, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. 5. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY. 6. Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Electronic address: tap2z@virginia.edu. 7. Fundación Ecuatoriana Para Investigación para Salud, Quinindé, Ecuador; Institute of Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom; Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador. Electronic address: pcooper@sgul.ac.uk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: IgE to α-Gal is a cause of mammalian meat allergy and has been linked to tick bites in North America, Australia, and Eurasia. Reports from the developing world indicate that α-Gal sensitization is prevalent but has been little investigated. OBJECTIVE: We sought evidence for the cause(s) of α-Gal sensitization and lack of reported meat allergy among children in less developed settings in Ecuador and Kenya. METHODS: IgE to α-Gal and total IgE were assessed in children from Ecuador (n = 599) and Kenya (n = 254) and compared with children with (n = 42) and without known (n = 63) mammalian meat allergy from the southeastern United States. Information on diet, potential risk factors, and helminth infections was available for children from Ecuador. IgG4 to α-Gal and antibodies to regionally representative parasites were assessed in a subset of children. RESULTS: In Ecuador (32%) and Kenya (54%), α-Gal specific IgE was prevalent, but levels were lower than in children with meat allergy from the United States. Sensitization was associated with rural living, antibody markers of Ascaris exposure, and total IgE, but not active infections with Ascaris or Trichuris species. In Ecuador, 87.5% reported consuming beef at least once per week, including 83.9% of those who had α-Gal specific IgE. Levels of α-Gal specific IgG4 were not high in Ecuador, but were greater than in children from the United States. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in areas of the developing world with endemic parasitism, α-Gal sensitization is (1) common, (2) associated with Ascaris exposure, and (3) distinguished by a low percentage of specific/total IgE compared with individuals with meat allergy in the United States.
BACKGROUND: IgE to α-Gal is a cause of mammalian meat allergy and has been linked to tick bites in North America, Australia, and Eurasia. Reports from the developing world indicate that α-Gal sensitization is prevalent but has been little investigated. OBJECTIVE: We sought evidence for the cause(s) of α-Gal sensitization and lack of reported meat allergy among children in less developed settings in Ecuador and Kenya. METHODS: IgE to α-Gal and total IgE were assessed in children from Ecuador (n = 599) and Kenya (n = 254) and compared with children with (n = 42) and without known (n = 63) mammalian meat allergy from the southeastern United States. Information on diet, potential risk factors, and helminth infections was available for children from Ecuador. IgG4 to α-Gal and antibodies to regionally representative parasites were assessed in a subset of children. RESULTS: In Ecuador (32%) and Kenya (54%), α-Gal specific IgE was prevalent, but levels were lower than in children with meat allergy from the United States. Sensitization was associated with rural living, antibody markers of Ascaris exposure, and total IgE, but not active infections with Ascaris or Trichuris species. In Ecuador, 87.5% reported consuming beef at least once per week, including 83.9% of those who had α-Gal specific IgE. Levels of α-Gal specific IgG4 were not high in Ecuador, but were greater than in children from the United States. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that in areas of the developing world with endemic parasitism, α-Gal sensitization is (1) common, (2) associated with Ascaris exposure, and (3) distinguished by a low percentage of specific/total IgE compared with individuals with meat allergy in the United States.
Authors: Joshua L Kennedy; Marcus Shaker; Victoria McMeen; James Gern; Holliday Carper; Deborah Murphy; Wai-Ming Lee; Yury A Bochkov; Rose F Vrtis; Thomas Platts-Mills; James Patrie; Larry Borish; John W Steinke; William A Woods; Peter W Heymann Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2014-03-01 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Matthew S Perzanowski; Eva Ronmark; Hayley R James; Linnea Hedman; Alexander J Schuyler; Anders Bjerg; Bo Lundback; Thomas A E Platts-Mills Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2016-06-11 Impact factor: 14.290
Authors: Philip J Cooper; Martha E Chico; Maritza G Vaca; Alejandro Rodriguez; Neuza M Alcântara-Neves; Bernd Genser; Lain Pontes de Carvalho; Renato T Stein; Alvaro A Cruz; Laura C Rodrigues; Mauricio L Barreto Journal: BMC Pulm Med Date: 2006-09-13 Impact factor: 3.317
Authors: Lívia Ribeiro Mendonça; Rafael Valente Veiga; Vitor Camilo Cavalcante Dattoli; Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo; Rosemeire Fiaccone; Jackson Santos; Álvaro Augusto Cruz; Laura Cunha Rodrigues; Philip John Cooper; Lain Carlos Pontes-de-Carvalho; Maurício Lima Barreto; Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2012-11-01
Authors: P Endara; M Vaca; T A E Platts-Mills; L Workman; M E Chico; M L Barreto; L C Rodrigues; P J Cooper Journal: Clin Exp Allergy Date: 2015-02 Impact factor: 5.018
Authors: Bahtiyar Yilmaz; Silvia Portugal; Tuan M Tran; Raffaella Gozzelino; Susana Ramos; Joana Gomes; Ana Regalado; Peter J Cowan; Anthony J F d'Apice; Anita S Chong; Ogobara K Doumbo; Boubacar Traore; Peter D Crompton; Henrique Silveira; Miguel P Soares Journal: Cell Date: 2014-12-04 Impact factor: 41.582
Authors: Tanyaporn Pattarabanjird; Jeffrey M Wilson; Loren D Erickson; Lisa J Workman; Hui Qiao; Yanal Ghosheh; Rishab Gulati; Chistopher Durant; Jenifer Vallejo; Ryosuke Saigusa; Thomas A E Platts-Mills; Angela M Taylor; Klaus Ley; Coleen A McNamara Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2022-01-13
Authors: Yifan Wu; Evan Li; Morgan Knight; Grace Adeniyi-Ipadeola; Li-Zhen Song; Alan R Burns; Ana Clara Gazzinelli-Guimaraes; Ricardo Fujiwara; Maria Elena Bottazzi; Jill E Weatherhead Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2021-12-16
Authors: Thomas A E Platts-Mills; Behnam Keshavarz; Jeffrey M Wilson; Rung-Chi Li; Peter W Heymann; Diane R Gold; Emily C McGowan; Elizabeth A Erwin Journal: Children (Basel) Date: 2021-05-20
Authors: Margarete Arrais; Ofélia Lulua; Francisca Quifica; José Rosado-Pinto; Jorge M R Gama; Philip J Cooper; Luis Taborda-Barata; Miguel Brito Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-06-07 Impact factor: 3.390